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Interview with Trever Stewart Vocalist of Modern Maps

Who makes up Modern Maps (Trever, Matthew, and Dominick)? What’s your story?

-Modern Maps is Trever Stewart, Matthew Hall, and Dominick Hall. We are a three-piece rock band from Southern California. Silly enough, our band got started when brothers Matt & Dom posted an ad on Craigslist seeking a vocalist. We began writing music together, playing shows, and genuinely falling in love with what we were building as musicians. It hasn’t been an easy ride but it’s definitely been worth it.

Stepping from So Cal your sound is it truly captured in your first music release “Nightfall?”

-Our record ‘hope you’re happy’ has a vast array of sounds that we’re very proud of. We feel that “Nightfall” has the right balance of emotion and energy for introducing ourselves to the world.

Always curious as to why and how a band chooses one song in particular from their coming album to be first. Why and how did “Nightfall” take that first place?

-Since day one of writing “Nightfall” we’ve had it in our minds as our debut single. We love it. Our label loves it. It just came very naturally to the process.

Talk a bit about the songs Development and the story behind creating the music video for it.

-“Nightfall” came so naturally to the writing process that even in its first stages it always had a special feel to it. This song was amongst the first written for “hope you’re happy.’ and the excitement for it never faded. The music video was extremely fun to shoot. We wanted to shoot a performance music video with some flare so we hired our good friend, Orie Mcginness. I don’t think any of us will ever stop being haunted by finding leftover confetti from that music video shoot.

Congratulations on being signed to Rise Records. Were you all surprised?

-First and foremost we are very thankful for the opportunity to join the Rise Records family. But surprised? No. We have believed in ourselves and what we have to offer to the world since Modern Maps was formed. We have worked extremely hard for this opportunity so we’re beyond grateful to have joined a family that fully supports our creative vision.

Going from unsigned to signed any thoughts or advice to those many bands still wondering “why not me?”

-Honestly, just have confidence in your own compass. A lot of musicians drop out because they focus too much on what other artists are doing and easily get discouraged. No art is better than your own, it’s just different.

Going with 11 tracks, correct? Right off the bat with your debut album ‘hope you’re happy’ seems to be a huge task. Why not a few singles in the first six months or an EP first?

-11 tracks, yes! Honestly, we just started writing and couldn’t stop! We love what we do. Rise Records gave us the luxury of making sure that we take our time in the studio and pour all of ourselves into this record. With our producers, David Knox and Ryan Furlott, We were able to evolve all 11 songs over six months and give them the attention that they deserve. At the end of the day, we are a rock band and we want to put out a rock record like the ones we grew up listening to.

The band name Modern Maps seems to carry its own meaning and somehow connects to the band's journey. What was the self-discovery found for each of you in your debut album?

-Although writing a record is such a rewarding experience, it can also be a very dark journey. For myself, writing lyrics for this record was one of the toughest tasks I’ve had to face. Staring straight into dark chapters of my life and describing them in a song is a painful experience. I had to do this 11 times for this record and I found that I’m emotionally stronger than I ever thought I was. I discovered that I was built for this.

Do each of you have particular songs from this coming album that speak to you specifically? Talk about that.

-There are two that really stick out. Track number 4 with “Ahold of Me” and track number 11 with “Something Different”. Both of these tracks are deep cuts and are still very difficult for me to listen to because of their meaning.

Which one of you would you say are really into the technicality of the music? Who is the business driven one? And one is the free thinker that keeps the happy flow of creativity jiving?

-A beautiful thing about Modern Maps is that we are all extremely dedicated to our art and we are all involved in every aspect of this band. From sketching merch designs, all the way up to writing and tracking our music, we all three shape Modern Maps together.

You’re really just beginning over and over again in this life. With this album release in June where do all three of you visualize yourselves as Band a year from now?

-We see ourselves in front of you. Whether that be winning a Grammy, or playing a show in someone’s backyard. We do this because we love every second of it. We will be wherever our music takes us.

Thank you for taking time to let us begin to get to know you. Looking forward to hearing more!

Can’t wait for you all to hear ‘hope you’re happy.” On June 1st! Thank you!

hope you're happy. is a year's worth of self-discovery and hard work to show the world the best representation of our band. We hope that these songs find you and that you join us on the road ahead," Modern Maps said.

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